Apps

Thousands of travelers with disabilities have found themselves in situations where finding accessible places to stay can be a challenge. To address this issue, Accomable works to connect users with disabilities with accessible travel accommodations. Accomable, the brain-child of Srin Madlipalli, came to him from his own need to find accessible accommodations while traveling as a man with spinal muscular atrophy. As CEO and its co-founder, Madlipalli works to see that the diverse needs of all travelers are met. Speaking of his own experiences traveling, he said, “I was constantly turning up to hotels and finding out they weren’t accessible, even if they had said they were. Accomable employs a similar model to Airbnb, and all potential hosts must provide thorough documentation of all accessibility features in their homes and surroundings.

Within Europe, the majority of Accomable’s listings are homes, though they also boast a network of about 300 hotels. With their current planned expansion to the U.S., travelers with disabilities will soon be able to experience the commitment of Accomable to have their unique needs in consideration. Companies in the U.S. that provide millions of people services daily like Uber and Lyft have made recent gains in accessibility and inclusion. Rather than wait for negative feedback from guests with disabilities staying at inaccessible homes, AirBnB hopes to proactively identify issues and work to provide accommodations and a safe place to stay for all. Airbnb’s recent initiatives to promote accessibility for all guests and greater transparency for example, has included providing educational materials to interested hosts and customer service training on disability topics.

Accomable joins a growing list of services that work to provide travelers with disabilities safe and accessible housing.

As we have seen through the massive recent damage caused by hurricanes Harvey and Irma, existing first responder networks may not always have the capacity to serve everyone’s needs during a crisis. This uncertainty has brought about a variety of smartphone applications and platforms that should be considered in an emergency situation. Nextdoor, an app which describes itself as a private social network for your neighborhood, was used to assist one stranded family in Houston. Within an hour of a help message through the application, a neighbor with a boat was able to take the family to safety. Nextdoor and other social networking apps like it, have been used as crisis response applications; connecting people in need with appropriate resources such as medical supplies and food, and assisting with emergency responseby providing more rapid, localized assessments of damage. Another recent example is Facebook’s use of Safety Check, a mechanism for users to check in as "safe" during or after an emergency event. Other applications such as Waze, provide real-time updates of road conditions by user’s self-reporting through the app and by monitoring their GPS.

The recent storms have proven that fundamental communications systems can be disabled and transportation routes can be blocked, leading to many being unable to reach first responders and vice-versa. Neighborhoods and communities can be a first line of defense in case of an emergency, and smartphone applications help connect neighbor with neighbor in time of need.

The Wireless RERC's YouTube channel was recently updated with new "How-To" videos for Android devices on Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and how to turn on accessibility features in Android to maximize the accessibility to WEA. We have added the video transcripts in two forms, as an accessible PDF and as plain text below the video. Links are included below:

Calling all innovators! Do you have an innovative product, service or technology that has helped to enhance the lives of people with disabilities? Innovation is one of the core drivers for advancement in accessibility for all individuals. The Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau and Connect2HealthFCC Task Force seek exhibitors for the Accessibility Innovations Expo to be held on Monday, October 23, 2017, from 10:00 a.m.to 12:00 p.m., at the Pepco Edison Place Gallery at 702 8th St, N.W., Washington, D.C. The Public Notice requesting exhibitors can be found at https://www.fcc.gov/document/fccs-seeks-exhibitors-2017-accessibility-expo.

During this year’s annual World Wide Developer’s Conference (WWDC), Apple announced a number of accessibility refinements in its upcoming operating systems, High Sierra for Mac and iOS 11 for iPhone and iPad. Both will be available for free this fall. These tweaks include enhancements to Dynamic Type, the option to invert colors to refine contrast for users with visual impairments, accessibility shortcuts on the keyboard, and improvements to Siri’s voice input and synthesis capabilities. In addition, using touch controls, VoiceOver image descriptions will be available to provide more information of what is in the image.

Apple is also radically redesigning its App Store to be more accessible. Ryan McLeod, who’s game Blackbox won this year’s Apple Design Award winner for Innovation in Accessibility, said, “Apple’s always had a huge focus on accessibility that’s become apparent to developers. It’s something I had in mind from the moment I started working on the app. It’s something like localization and internationalization—something that I didn’t want to bite me later if I started implementing it but couldn’t do.”

iOS 11 and High Sierra are fairly light in new features compared to previous versions of the operating systems; instead Apple has chosen to focus on refinements and enhancements to the user experience. Source: Steven Aquino, TechCrunch

​May 18, 2017 - Microsoft has made accessibility updates its note-taking app OneNote. New features are available on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android platforms. According to the company, the updates improve usability for learners with mobility impairments and for those who use screen readers. Keyboard shortcuts, navigation, and a cross-app consistency are among the updates. Additionally, Microsoft is providing accessibility training courses for educators to train faculty in the creation of accessible documents so that both the course room content and OneNote app features are accessible. The course is free for educators, administrators, parents and students.

AT&T’s Corporate Accessibility Technology Office designs, develops and reviews technologies to ensure their ease of use for people with disabilities. The goal, according to Lead Accessible Technology Architect Dr. Aaron Bangor is “to not build barriers in the first place.” Since 2015, his team has promoted inclusive design that will improve accessibility and communication for people with disabilities. In an interview with Dallas News, Dr. Bangor and his team spoke of Real-Time Text (RTT), a modern alternative to the legacy teletypewriter devices that allows individuals with hearing or speech impairments to communicate through text on a phone call. The recipient can see a word as soon as the sender types it. As current and emerging technologies such as drone delivery services, apps, and autonomous vehicles change the lived experience, the office's staff endeavors to ensure innovations are inclusive of all consumers. We’re not doing technology for technology’s sake," said Dr. Bangor. "We’re doing it for the benefit it can provide: meeting the needs of as many of our potential customers as possible.” AT&T’s real-time text service is expected to launch at the end of the year. Source: Melissa Repko, The Dallas Morning News

“The Future of Accessible Work” is hosted by PEAT, Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology. The webinar title was also the theme for the 14th International Web for All (W4A) 2017 Conference held in Perth, Western Australia. Join W4A Conference Chair, Vivienne Conway, to hear the highlights and top trends emerging from the global conference, and celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD).

The Web For All web page states, “Creating an inclusive work environment could include developing new accessible technologies usable by people with and without disabilities; improving the way existing technologies are deployed; ensuring that staff embrace an inclusive culture in the workplace; and of course, understanding the needs of people with disabilities in the workforce. We can work towards implementing more functional Intranet and public-facing websites, and developing applications that are more inclusive and enable people with disabilities to participate more easily.”

The Wireless RERC updated four handouts that serve as resources for people with disabilities, emergency managers, and other stakeholders to raise awareness, as well as provide actionable information, on how to ensure emergency information reaches the whole community. The handouts address optimizing smartphones to receive and react to Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) messages, how to ensure access to the Deaf population, and technology, policy, and training considerations for all stakeholders. The documents are brief handouts. Feel free to share within your organization and communities. Following are links and descriptions of each document:

This document provides need to know information about WEA. It explains what a WEA is, who WEA providers are, your rights regarding WEA and what you should do to access WEA. Remember, WEA messages can save lives. Do not ignore them!

This document provides a description of some apps that can be used to enhance WEA access. It explains different apps, their features and where you can locate them to better understand WEA messages and aid in responding to WEA the messages appropriately. Provided are links to more information for each app.

This document features twelve considerations for accessible emergency communications to help guide emergency communications planning for people with disabilities and those with access and functional needs. Also provided is a list of websites and resources with specific information concerning technology, policy, training and education.

Wireless RERC researchers, Salimah LaForce and Ben Lippincott, and consultant, Kay Chiodo (Deaf Link), will present at the Pacific ADA Center and the ADA National Network Learning Session on May 11, 2017, from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm EST. The Emergency Preparedness webinar series focuses on key strategies and approaches at various levels (federal, state, and local) toward emergency management and preparedness and the inclusion of people with disabilities. Register here to attend this webinar. Following is a description and learning objectives.

During an emergency, alert and warning officials need to provide the public with life-saving emergency messages that inform those in the impacted area and compel them to take protective actions. Emergency information is not always presented in formats accessible to people with different levels of sensory, cognitive and physical disabilities. Likewise, the devices on which they receive emergency information are not always optimized for use with emergency information tools such as WEA, subscription-based alerting systems, or local and state apps (e.g. Ready Georgia). This webinar will address composing message content and delivery format features that can enhance the accessibility of the information to people with disabilities. We will also cover smartphone features that can improve the accessibility of emergency messages. The webinar will close with a description and demonstration of an accessible system, Deaf Link's Accessible Hazard Alert System (AHAS).

Learning objectives:

Learn about the use of wireless emergency communications tools by people with disabilities, as well as their expressed needs and preferences.

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The contents of this website were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90RE5025-01-00). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this website do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.